Something Else

Ignacio sure is something else.  I can hardly believe it but his first year of preschool is over.  His graduation was last week, which I had to miss because I wasn't up and about yet.  My heart broke a little but I knew that there will be more moments.  He jumped out of Jenny's van with his little graduation cap on and I could hardly believe it.  The next day was his official "last day" and I was a little sad.  I have to admit; I had a moment.  I have made some great friends with other moms with whom I have shared some really tough and personal moments with this year.   I call them my "preschool friends" as a joke.  When I asked Ignacio if he wanted to go back to Joyce next year he said he wanted to go straight to kindergarten.  Classic Ignacio.

And so we look forward to the summer I am excited to spend the time with him and not have to worry about drop offs and pick ups, but I know he will need some major social engagement so I am paying close attention to which parks are packed with the most kids.  That is where you will find us.  He is a social flutter bug.  Within minutes he is making a friend, running around and/or orchestrating some game with a group of often-time older kids.  Emilio is usually stealing some kids sand toys on the sly or bravely defending his own. 

Ignacio is on the border between school-age kid and my little boy.  I can feel it.  He prefers to wrestle than snuggle some days but yet still requests that we, "sleep like little kitties" together during his nap.  This usually results in us falling asleep while holding each other's hands.  He says the most profound things during this time.  "We will be together forever." "It is important to share our love with others." "Even when I am dead I will send my love to you, just not with my body."  I often doze off in amazement at what a little philosopher he is and where it originates.  For a kid who has never even been to Sunday School, he is the most spiritual person I know.  Grandma says it comes from me.  She may be right.

He is still pretty easy to discipline.  I actually can't even remember the last time I had to put him in a cool down now that I think about it.  He still goes through anxious phases when he is scared of a certain part of our house or of being alone.  We got through the last one by him putting on his super hero cape and saging the house with smoke, directing it to the places of the house that most freak him out.  I even let him hold the burning sage so he was REALLY in control of cleaning out all the "scaries" and it seemed to work.  We just roll with it.  He rarely comes in our bed anymore but when he does we know it is probably for a good reason.  We just roll with it.  It can be frustrating and overwhelming but we are able to deal with it when it comes up, which is a rarer occurrence with the passing time.  We just recognize and honor that he is a pretty "tuned in" kid and that makes him our little one.

All in all, he is just something else.  I wouldn't have it any other way.